Washington State Department of Health

Washington State Department of Health – DOH

The Washington State Department of Health licenses physicians, nurses and nursing assistants, pharmacists, counselors, therapists, veterinarians, and many other health professionals in Washington State. An allegation of professional misconduct, even if it may seem minor at first, can result in a license suspension, followed by a revocation. Any suspension or revocation of a license will show on a background check conducted in any state, and could result in fewer job opportunities.

DOH’s investigator will ask for a statement and failure to respond to the investigator could result in new charges, as well as an automatic suspension of your license. DOH’s deadlines are short – often 10-20 days – and failure to respond before the deadline could prevent you from being able to dispute the charges at all. An experienced attorney will protect your rights during an investigation and respond to a Statement of Charges. If you receive notice of an investigation or a statement of charges, please contact an attorney right away to protect your rights and prevent a negative report to the national criminal background check database.